The Other Path
by CharlotteBlackwood
Summary: A companion piece to Sirius Black's List, reader requested. What if Mikki had found a way to be with Sirius? What would have changed? Would anything? M for minor adult situations. It is recommended that Sirius Black's List be read first, but it's not necessary.


**A/N: This is an AU oneshot based off my story, **_**Sirius Black's List**_**. This was requested by reader **_**Ravenic Tauro**_**. Happier ending than the original. :D Enjoy!**

** -C**

It had taken Remus and Mikki three years to perfect the potion, and keeping Sirius alive and patient was a difficult task, but somehow they managed.

"So, it works?" Sirius asked hesitantly. "I can sleep with you as much as I want and I won't... you know, waste away and die?"

"That's the idea," Mikki said cheekily.

"But, you're sure it works?"

"Well, we haven't exactly done human tests, Sirius, but it works on werewolves, so I think you're probably okay."

She loved the way his face scrunched up with disgust at her admission that she'd slept with Remus, multiple times.

Well, she'd been lonely, and Remus was nearly always lonely, although he'd called things off as soon as he'd started seeing that young thing, what was her name, Tonks. She was nice enough, but changing her body could only get her so far with men. She could become their fantasy, but she couldn't make their fantasies her. Mikki could do that, even with the potion, they found.

Poor Remus. She tried to take it easy on him, but it took a while to figure out her own strength.

Of course, the potion had worked on humans as well, and as Sirius stirred slightly in his sleep, arms still wrapped around her, Mikki felt at peace for the first time in a long time.

Blaise was a big boy. He didn't need his mother anymore and he seemed more than pleased that she was finally happy, truly happy. Besides, he was seeing some girl named Daphne. The amount of time those two spent at 'their flat', which Mikki was paying for, was enough to make most mothers worry. Mikki wasn't worried. Blaise could be more mature than his mother half the time.

Sirius and Mikki weren't married. They decided that they'd not spent all of their lives loving each other from afar to waste time with silly things like weddings and ceremonies and meaningless pieces of paper. Besides, Mikki didn't have the best track record with marriage. It wasn't something she was particularly fond of.

Gently, carefully, she brushed a bit of his shaggy black hair out of his eyes.

The war was over, anyway, thankfully. She wished she'd had a chance to kill Peter herself, avenge the years Sirius was locked away for Peter's crimes, but she was just glad the rat was dead.

The war and the years between the two wars left their shadow on both Mikki Clark (who had taken her maiden name back after Blaise moved out) and Sirius Black, but somehow they were still as in love as they had been as teenagers. There was something about him that just made her want to hold him and never let go.

His eyelids fluttered open, revealing sleepy gray eyes she knew and loved so well.

"Good morning, beautiful," he whispered huskily. "Have you been up long?"

"Long enough," she sighed with a shrug.

"I've been awake too long," he muttered, his lips closing in on hers, "without this."

When his lips met hers she instantly sighed into his mouth, letting him roll his naked body over hers, letting him have control, which she found she enjoyed doing since she'd started taking the potion. It was probably a side effect, but she and Sirius found they didn't really mind it so much. The sex was still fabulous, and he could survive it.

They knew each other so well that when the wanted it took only minutes to drive each other over the edge. This was one of those mornings.

They had two rounds before breakfast, and Mikki mused to herself as Sirius led her down the stairs, naked, to the kitchen that she was glad the house was large enough that the neighbors, whoever they were, wouldn't hear anything, no matter how loud Sirius and Mikki's cries of passion were. The neighbors would, though, get a show if they bothered looking through Mikki's windows, as the pair often went naked through the house unless they were expecting company (which meant Harry or Remus).

Sirius made them some toast and Mikki threw on one of his shirts to make some tea (in case she spilled some boiling water). When they sat down for breakfast, Sirius caught Mikki frowning contemplatively at her tea. He put his hand on her chin and lifted her face so that their eyes met.

"Mikki, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I've never been happier than I am with you. I mean, I feel normal and loved, and not because I'm _making_ you love me. But... do you ever feel like we've cheated? I mean, like how this isn't how it was supposed to go?"

He shrugged.

"I dunno, sometimes, I guess," he admitted. "But I guess what I keep coming back to is, what does it matter? I love you, you love me, and we get to be together. We've got everything we wanted. Isn't that enough?"

"Yeah," Mikki lied. "Yeah, it is."

Of course, there was one thing he kept conveniently leaving out. She couldn't have children. The potion's negative side-effect was that it made her barren forever. So as badly as she wanted to have Sirius's children, it could never happen.

He'd never complained. He'd told her that it didn't matter, that he just wanted her, and they would have made rubbish parents anyway. But Mikki couldn't shake from her mind the image of a little girl with her mother's raven hair and her father's gray eyes...

She wouldn't cry in front of him, so she blinked the tears away. He was right. They had everything they wanted. That would be enough. Having him would be more than enough, because she loved him more than anything in the world. The war was won. It was over.

But Mikki Clark knew in her core that even happily ever after didn't come without a price, and the price was usually paid with interest.

**A/N: Okay, I said **_**happier**_**, not **_**happy**_**. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Review please!**

** -C**


End file.
